Sahara Chicken
Quick and easy Sahara chicken recipe that will make you swoon! This chicken is the perfect addition to middle eastern rice bowls, salads and wraps!
This recipe can be grilled or pan seared on the stove top - but I highly recommend a splatter screen if cooking on the store because the turmeric can make one heck of a mess, especially if your stove/counter is white! You've been warned!
The Sahara spice blend is delicious on roasted veggies, in soups, on roasted chickpeas or used to season beef or lamb!
This chicken recipe would go beautifully with any of these salad recipes:
Sahara Chicken
Serves 4
What you'll need:
2 garlic cloves, grated
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (mint, cilantro or parsley)
1 tbsp Sahara Spice Blend (recipe below)
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
3 tbsp neutral oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Sahara Spice Blend
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cayenne pepper (more or less, depending on your spice tolerance)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Steps:
Optional step: stir 1 tbsp kosher or sea salt with 2 cups of COLD water until the salt dissolves. Add chicken thighs to the brine and refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to cooking. When ready to prepare, remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towel. Continue with recipe below.
Combine all the Sahara spice blend ingredients in a jar secured with a lid. You will have extra for other recipes! 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground all spice, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp ground cloves.
In a large bowl whisk together 2 cloves of grated garlic, the zest of 1 lemon, the juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 tbsp of fresh herbs, 1 tbsp Sahara spice blend, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 3 tbsp neutral oil. Add 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs to the bowl and turn to coat the chicken in the marinade. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Preheat the grill (or a heavy bottom frying pan) to medium high. When the grill is hot, lay the chicken thighs on the grill and cook for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165F. Don't over cook them.
Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to rest for 2 minutes.
To serve: slice chicken thighs, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over top, and garnish with some fresh chopped herbs. Serve with more lemon wedges at the table.
Enjoy, my friends!
